War Machine is the worst hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

He has a cool nickname and is played by one of the most talented actors working in Hollywood. So, why is James “Rhodey” Rhodes (aka War Machine) such a lame duck in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Introduced in Iron Man #118 in 1979, War Machine has proved himself a capable hero and loyal friend throughout his comic run, someone who is predictably reliable and faithfully patriotic. In short, he represents everything Tony Stark is not. Which is why it pains me to say he’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s least interesting hero.

When Rhodes made his debut in 2008’s Iron Man, he was portrayed as a smooth-talking and respected lieutenant colonel who acts as the military’s chief liaison to Stark Industries’ much-lauded weapons division. He has a close relationship with Tony Stark, and in the Iron Man sequel, dons the War Machine armor for the first time.

But things soon take a turn for the worst.

Not only does Terrence Howard get replaced by Don Cheadle, but there’s a meta name change that makes him sound like a special edition Jeep rather than a fearsome hero. And for some inexplicable reason, he doesn’t appear in The Avengers at all, despite being a huge asset to the team.

Marvel rather unsuccessfully tried to give War Machine an identity in Iron Man 3, but it’s more ostentatious than heroic. He’s essentially a flashier, more suave Captain America who winds up getting his red, white, and blue armor stolen.

Through it all, he remains loyal to Stark as ever, which is one of his strongest characteristics. But there’s never any growth for him beyond being Stark’s friend. Sure, he gets to cavort with the Avengers for a bit in Age of Ultron, establishing himself as a useful second stringer sub. But he’s utterly, painfully useless in Captain America: Civil War.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/08/06/war-machine-is-the-worst-hero-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/